Method and apparatus for transmitting data

Abstract

The application provides a method and device for transmitting data. The method comprises: determining, by an access network device, a plurality of paths for transmitting a first quality of service (QoS) flow of a terminal device, the plurality of paths comprising at least two paths in a first path set, the first path set comprising N indirect paths and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device, wherein the N indirect paths comprise indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and the access network device transmits the first QoS flow through the plurality of paths. The method and device for transmitting data provided by the application can enable the terminal device to communicate with the network device through the plurality of paths, thereby improving the reliability or rate of data transmission.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for transmitting data. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the rapid development of mobile communication, the popular use of new service types such as video chat, virtual reality (VR) / augmented reality (AR) and other data services increases the demand of users for bandwidth. Device-to-device (D2D) communication allows user equipment (UE) to communicate directly between each other, and D2D communication includes one-to-many communication and one-to-one communication. One-to-many communication corresponds to groupcast and broadcast communication, and one-to-one communication corresponds to unicast communication. In one-to-one communication, if the sending UE and the receiving UE are within a close range, they can communicate directly after discovering each other, and the sending UE and the receiving UE communicate through a PC5 (prose communication 5) interface.

[0003] In the existing network architecture, a UE can directly connect to a radio access network (RAN) for communication, or can realize communication between the UE and the RAN with the assistance of a relay UE. For example, when the UE is within the coverage of the RAN, or when the communication quality between the UE and the RAN is good, the UE communicates with the RAN through a direct path. When the UE is outside the coverage of the RAN, or when the communication quality between the UE and the RAN is not good, i.e., when the UE cannot directly connect to the RAN, the UE can realize communication between the UE and the RAN with the assistance of a relay UE (in this scenario, the UE is referred to as a remote UE, and the remote UE and the relay UE communicate through D2D communication.), i.e., the UE switches from a direct path to an indirect path to communicate with the RAN. It can be seen that the UE communicates with the RAN through one path before and after the switching of the communication path. However, when the UE communicates with the RAN through only one path, the communication quality may be poor, or the data transmission rate may be low. Therefore, how to improve the reliability or rate of data transmission is a problem that needs to be solved at present. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a method and apparatus for transmitting data, which can enable a terminal device to communicate with a network device through multiple paths, thereby improving the reliability or rate of data transmission.

[0005] In a first aspect, a method for transmitting data is provided. The method can be performed by an access network device, or by a component (such as a chip or a chip system, etc.) configured in the access network device. The present application does not limit this. The method comprises: determining, by the access network device, a plurality of paths for transmitting a first quality of service (QoS) flow of a terminal device, the plurality of paths comprising at least two paths in a first path set, the first path set comprising N indirect paths and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device, wherein the N indirect paths comprise indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and transmitting, by the access network device, the first QoS flow through the plurality of paths.

[0006] Based on the above scheme, the access network device determines at least two paths for transmitting data, so that when a communication quality of one of the at least two paths is poor, the reliability or rate of data transmission can be improved. Specifically, when the access network device transmits a same data packet of the first QoS flow through the at least two paths, the reliability of transmission of the data packet can be improved, or when the access network device splits the data packet of the first QoS flow and transmits different data packets through the at least two paths, the transmission rate of the first QoS flow can be improved.

[0007] The access network device determining the at least two paths comprises: establishing, by the access network device, the at least two paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device when there is only one path between the access network device and the terminal device, or selecting, by the access network device, the plurality of paths for transmitting the first QoS flow when there are already a plurality of paths between the access network device and the terminal device.

[0008] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the access network device receives first indication information from a core network element, the first indication information indicating that a multi-path transmission mode is adopted for the first QoS flow, and the access network device determines the plurality of paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device according to the first indication information.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the first indication information further comprises a specific form of the multi-path transmission mode, i.e., duplication transmission or split transmission.

[0010] For example, if the specific form of the multi-path transmission mode is duplication transmission, i.e., taking the downlink QoS flow as an example, the access network device duplicates the data packets of the first QoS flow, transmits the same data packets to the terminal device through multiple paths, and the terminal device performs deduplication on the data packets. If the specific form of the multi-path transmission mode is split transmission, i.e., taking the downlink QoS flow as an example, the access network device transmits different data packets of the first QoS flow to the terminal device through different paths.

[0011] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners, before determining the multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device, the access network device determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow.

[0012] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the multi-path transmission mode includes a multi-path transmission mode through a relay terminal device.

[0013] Based on the above scheme, the access network device can determine the multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow based on the preference of the multi-path transmission mode indicated by the core network element.

[0014] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the access network device determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to authorization information, where the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized to be a remote terminal device or is authorized to use the multi-path transmission mode.

[0015] Based on the above scheme, if the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized to be a remote terminal device or is authorized to use the multi-path transmission mode, the access network device determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow, and if the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is not authorized to be a remote terminal device or is not authorized to use the multi-path transmission mode, the access network device determines not to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow.

[0016] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the access network device receives request information from the terminal device, where the request information is used to request to use the multi-path transmission mode to transmit the first QoS flow, and the access network device determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the request information, or the access network device determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the request information and authorization information, where the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized to be a remote terminal device or is authorized to use the multi-path transmission mode.

[0017] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the access network device determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow in a case where a QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied.

[0018] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners, when the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not met by the multiple paths, the access network device sends first information to the core network element, where the first information indicates that the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not met, or the first information indicates that the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not met in the case that the first QoS flow adopts the multiple-path transmission manner.

[0019] Based on the above scheme, in the case that the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not met by the multiple paths, the access network device sends first information to the core network element, and after receiving the first information, the core network element does not trigger the access network device to establish the multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow again.

[0020] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the access network device sends second information to the terminal device, where the second information is used to trigger the terminal device to report information of a relay terminal device, the access network device receives information of at least one relay terminal device from the terminal device, and the access network device establishes an indirect path in the multiple paths according to the information of the at least one relay terminal device.

[0021] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the access network device sends third information to at least one relay terminal device, where the third information is used to trigger the at least one relay terminal device to participate in relay discovery.

[0022] Based on the above scheme, the access network device can send second information to the terminal device and third information to the relay terminal device to participate in relay discovery, so that the case that the terminal device cannot report information or the relay terminal device does not participate in relay discovery is avoided, and the establishment of the multiple paths is effectively completed.

[0023] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the access network device establishes an independent data radio bearer for the first QoS flow, and transmits the first QoS flow with the terminal device on the data radio bearer through the multiple paths.

[0024] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the access network device receives maximum path quantity information corresponding to the multiple-path transmission manner, and determines the quantity of the multiple paths according to the maximum path quantity information.

[0025] Based on the above scheme, the access network device can determine the number of paths corresponding to different QoS parameters according to the maximum path number information. For example, the higher the QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow (the higher the reliability requirement), the more paths are required to transmit the first QoS flow, but the determined number of paths is subject to the constraint of the maximum path number, that is, the number of paths determined by the access network device cannot exceed the maximum path number.

[0026] In a second aspect, a method for transmitting data is provided. The method can be performed by a core network element. The method includes: determining, by the core network element, that a first quality of service (QoS) flow of a terminal device adopts a multi-path transmission manner, the multi-path transmission manner being a transmission manner including at least two paths in a first path set, the first path set including N indirect paths and a direct path between an access network device and the terminal device, wherein the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and sending, by the core network element, first indication information indicating that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission manner.

[0027] Based on the above scheme, the core network element determines that the first quality of service (QoS) flow of the terminal device adopts the multi-path transmission manner, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission. Moreover, the core network element also indicates to the access network device the preference of the multi-path transmission manner, that is, the multi-path transmission manner includes indirect transmission through relay terminal devices, thereby enabling the access network device to have a certain bias when determining multiple paths.

[0028] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the first indication information further includes a specific form of the multi-path transmission manner, that is, copy transmission or split transmission.

[0029] For example, if the specific form of the multi-path transmission manner is copy transmission, taking a downlink QoS flow as an example, the access network device copies the data packets of the first QoS flow, transmits the same data packets to the terminal device through multiple paths, and the terminal device performs deduplication on the data packets. If the specific form of the multi-path transmission manner is split transmission, taking a downlink QoS flow as an example, the access network device transmits different data packets of the first QoS flow to the terminal device through different paths.

[0030] Based on the above scheme, when the access network device transmits the same data packet of the first QoS flow through at least two paths, the reliability of transmission of the data packet can be improved, or when the access network device splits the data packets of the first QoS flow and transmits different data packets through at least two paths, the transmission rate of the first QoS flow can be improved.

[0031] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the core network element determines, according to the authorization information, that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode, the authorization information indicating that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or is authorized to adopt the multi-path transmission mode.

[0032] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the core network element sends, to the terminal device, second indication information, the second indication information indicating that the first data flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode, the first data flow including a first service flow or a first QoS flow.

[0033] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the core network element receives, from the terminal device, request information, the request information being used to request that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode, and the core network element determines, according to the request information, that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode.

[0034] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the core network element receives, from the terminal device, request information, the request information being used to request that a first service flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode, the core network element allocates the first QoS flow for the first service flow, and the core network element determines, according to the request information, that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode.

[0035] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the core network element receives, from the access network device, fourth information, the fourth information indicating that a QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not met, and the core network element determines, according to the fourth information, that the first QoS flow of the terminal device adopts the multi-path transmission mode.

[0036] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the core network element sends, to the access network device, maximum path number information, the maximum path number information being used to determine a number of paths used to transmit the first QoS flow.

[0037] In a third aspect, a method for transmitting data is provided. The method can be executed by a terminal device, or can also be executed by a component (such as a chip or a chip system) configured in the terminal device. The present application does not limit this. The method includes: determining, by a terminal device, that a first data flow adopts a multi-path transmission mode, the first data flow including a first service flow or a first service quality (QoS) flow, the multi-path transmission mode being a transmission mode including at least two paths in a first path set, the first path set including N indirect paths and a direct path between an access network device and the terminal device, the N indirect paths including indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1, and sending, by the terminal device, request information, the request information being used to request that the first data flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode.

[0038] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first service quality QoS flow, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission.

[0039] In combination with the third aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the terminal device receives second indication information from a core network element, the second indication information indicating that the multi-path transmission mode is used for the first data flow, and the terminal device determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first data flow according to the second indication information.

[0040] In combination with the third aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the terminal device receives fourth information indicating that a QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied, and the terminal device determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the fourth information, or the terminal device determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the fourth information and authorization information indicating that the terminal device is authorized to be a remote terminal device or is authorized to use the multi-path transmission mode.

[0041] In combination with the third aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the terminal device receives second information from the access network device, the second information being used to trigger the terminal device to report information of a relay terminal device, and the terminal device sends information of at least one relay terminal device to the access network device, the information of the at least one relay terminal device being used to establish an indirect path in the multi-path transmission mode.

[0042] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can receive the second information from the access network device, thereby participating in relay discovery, avoiding the situation that the terminal device cannot report information, and thereby enabling the access network device to effectively complete establishment of multiple paths.

[0043] A fourth aspect provides a device for transmitting data. The device can be an access network device, or the device can also be a component (such as a chip or a chip system, etc.) configured in the access network device. The present application does not limit this. The device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The processing unit is configured to determine a plurality of paths for transmitting a first service quality QoS flow of a terminal device, the plurality of paths including at least two paths in a first path set, the first path set including N indirect paths and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device, wherein the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The transceiver unit is configured to transmit the first QoS flow through the plurality of paths.

[0044] Based on the above scheme, the access network device determines at least two paths to transmit data, so that when communication quality of one of the at least two paths is poor, the reliability of data transmission can be improved.

[0045] With reference to the fourth aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the transceiver is further configured to receive first indication information from the core network element, the first indication information indicating that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode, and the processor is further configured to determine the multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device according to the first indication information.

[0046] With reference to the fourth aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the first indication information further includes a specific form of the multi-path transmission mode, i.e., copy transmission or split transmission.

[0047] Based on the above scheme, when the access network device transmits the same data packet of the first QoS flow through the at least two paths, the reliability of transmission of the data packet can be improved, or when the access network device splits the data packet of the first QoS flow and transmits different data packets through the at least two paths, the transmission rate of the first QoS flow can be improved.

[0048] With reference to the fourth aspect, in some possible implementation manners, before determining the multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device, the processor is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode.

[0049] With reference to the fourth aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the multi-path transmission mode includes a multi-path transmission mode through a relay terminal device.

[0050] With reference to the fourth aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the processor is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode according to authorization information, the authorization information indicating that the terminal device is authorized to be a remote terminal device or is authorized to adopt the multi-path transmission mode.

[0051] With reference to the fourth aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the transceiver is further configured to receive request information from the terminal device, the request information being used to request to transmit the first QoS flow in the multi-path transmission mode, and the processor is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode according to the request information, or the processor is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode according to the request information and authorization information, the authorization information indicating that the terminal device is authorized to be a remote terminal device or is authorized to adopt the multi-path transmission mode.

[0052] In some possible implementation manners, in a case where the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied, the processing unit determines to adopt the multi-path transmission manner for the first QoS flow.

[0053] In some possible implementation manners, in a case where the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied, the processing unit determines to adopt the multi-path transmission manner for the first QoS flow.

[0054] In some possible implementation manners, the processing unit is further configured to send, to the terminal device, second information used to trigger the terminal device to report information of the relay terminal device, and the transceiver is further configured to receive the information of the at least one relay terminal device from the terminal device, and the processing unit is further configured to establish an indirect path in the plurality of paths according to the information of the at least one relay terminal device.

[0055] In some possible implementation manners, the processing unit is further configured to send, to the at least one relay terminal device, third information used to trigger the at least one relay terminal device to participate in relay discovery.

[0056] In some possible implementation manners, the processing unit is further configured to establish an independent data radio bearer for the first QoS flow, and the transceiver is configured to transmit, with the terminal device, the first QoS flow over the plurality of paths on the data radio bearer.

[0057] In some possible implementation manners, the transceiver is further configured to receive maximum path quantity information corresponding to the multi-path transmission manner, and the processing unit is further configured to determine the quantity of the plurality of paths according to the maximum path quantity information.

[0058] In a fifth aspect, a device for transmitting data is provided. The device can be a core network element. The device includes a transceiver and a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to determine to adopt a multi-path transmission manner for a first quality of service (QoS) flow of a terminal device, the multi-path transmission manner being a transmission manner including at least two paths in a first path set, the first path set including N indirect paths and a direct path between an access network device and the terminal device, wherein the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and the transceiver is configured to send first indication information, the first indication information indicating that the multi-path transmission manner is adopted for the first QoS flow.

[0059] Based on the above scheme, the core network element determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow of the terminal device, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission. Moreover, the core network element also indicates the preference of the multi-path transmission mode to the access network device, that is, the multi-path transmission mode includes the indirect transmission mode through the relay terminal device, thereby making the access network device have certain bias when determining the multiple paths.

[0060] In combination with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the first indication information further includes a specific form of the multi-path transmission mode, that is, the duplication transmission or the split transmission.

[0061] Based on the above scheme, when the access network device transmits the same data packet of the first QoS flow through at least two paths, the reliability of the transmission of the data packet can be improved, or when the access network device splits the data packet of the first QoS flow and transmits different data packets through at least two paths, the transmission rate of the first QoS flow can be improved.

[0062] In combination with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the processing unit is further configured to determine to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the authorization information, the authorization information indicating that the terminal device is authorized to be a remote terminal device or is authorized to use the multi-path transmission mode.

[0063] In combination with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the transceiver is further configured to send second indication information to the terminal device, the second indication information indicating to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first data flow, the first data flow including the first service flow or the first QoS flow.

[0064] In combination with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the transceiver is further configured to receive request information from the terminal device, the request information being used to request to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow, and the processing unit is further configured to determine to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the request information.

[0065] In combination with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the transceiver is further configured to receive request information from the terminal device, the request information being used to request to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first service flow, and the processing unit is further configured to allocate the first QoS flow for the first service flow, and the processing unit is further configured to determine to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the request information.

[0066] In combination with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the transceiver is further configured to receive fourth information from the access network device, the fourth information indicating that the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied, and the processing unit is further configured to determine to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow of the terminal device according to the fourth information.

[0067] In a possible implementation, the transceiver is further configured to send maximum path number information to the access network device, the maximum path number information being used to determine a number of paths for transmitting the first QoS flow.

[0068] In a sixth aspect, a device for transmitting data is provided. The device can be a terminal device, or the device can also be a component (e.g., a chip or a chip system, etc.) configured in a terminal device. The device is not limited in the present application. The device includes a transceiver and a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to determine that a first data flow adopts a multi-path transmission mode, the first data flow including a first service flow or a first quality of service (QoS) flow, the multi-path transmission mode being a transmission mode including at least two paths in a first path set, the first path set including N indirect paths and a direct path between an access network device and the terminal device, wherein the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device via N relay terminal devices, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The transceiver is configured to send request information, the request information being used to request that the first data flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode.

[0069] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device determines that the first quality of service (QoS) flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission.

[0070] In a possible implementation, the transceiver is further configured to receive second indication information from a core network element, the second indication information indicating that the first data flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode. The processing unit is further configured to determine that the first data flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode according to the second indication information.

[0071] In a possible implementation, the transceiver is further configured to receive fourth information, the fourth information indicating that a QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied. The processing unit is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode according to the fourth information, or the processing unit is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode according to the fourth information and authorization information, the authorization information indicating that the terminal device is authorized to be a remote terminal device or is authorized to adopt the multi-path transmission mode.

[0072] In a possible implementation, the transceiver is further configured to receive second information from the access network device, the second information being used to trigger the terminal device to report information of a relay terminal device. The transceiver is further configured to send information of at least one relay terminal device to the access network device, the information of the at least one relay terminal device being used to establish an indirect path in the multi-path transmission mode.

[0073] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The apparatus can be the access network device in the first aspect, or an electronic device deployed in the access network device, or a larger device including the access network device. The apparatus is configured to perform the method in the first aspect.

[0074] The apparatus includes a processor coupled with a memory, which can be configured to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect. Optionally, the apparatus further includes the memory, which can be deployed separately from the processor or can be deployed centrally. Optionally, the apparatus further includes a communication interface, to which the processor is coupled.

[0075] In an implementation, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0076] In another implementation, the apparatus is a chip deployed in the access network device. When the apparatus is a chip deployed in the access network device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processor can also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0077] Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0078] In a specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a flip-flop and various logic circuits, etc. The input received by the input circuit can be, but is not limited to, the input received by the receiver and inputted, the output outputted by the output circuit can be, but is not limited to, the output outputted to the transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0079] In an eighth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The apparatus can be the core network element in the second aspect, or an electronic device deployed in the core network element, or a larger device including the core network element. The apparatus is configured to perform the method in the second aspect.

[0080] The apparatus includes a processor coupled with a memory, which can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect. Optionally, the apparatus further includes the memory, which can be deployed separately or centrally with the processor. Optionally, the apparatus further includes a communication interface, which is coupled with the processor.

[0081] In an implementation, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0082] In another implementation, the apparatus is a chip configured in a core network element. When the apparatus is a chip configured in a core network element, the communication interface can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processor can also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0083] Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0084] In a specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a flip-flop, and various logic circuits. The input received by the input circuit can be, but is not limited to, the receiver receiving and inputting, the output outputted by the output circuit can be, but is not limited to, the output to the transmitter and the transmission by the transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0085] In a ninth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The apparatus can be the terminal device in the third aspect, or an electronic device configured in the terminal device, or a larger device including the terminal device. The apparatus is configured to perform the method in the third aspect.

[0086] The apparatus includes a processor coupled with a memory, which can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method in the third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect. Optionally, the apparatus further includes the memory, which can be deployed separately or centrally with the processor. Optionally, the apparatus further includes a communication interface, which is coupled with the processor.

[0087] In an implementation, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0088] In another implementation, the apparatus is a chip configured in the terminal device. When the apparatus is a chip configured in the terminal device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processor can also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0089] Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0090] In the implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a flip-flop, and various logic circuits. The input received by the input circuit can be, but is not limited to, the input received by the receiver and input to the transmitter, and the output output by the output circuit can be, but is not limited to, the output to the transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0091] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method in any one of the first aspect to the third aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0092] In an eleventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method in any one of the first aspect to the third aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0093] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the access network device, the core network element, and the terminal device described above. Optionally, the communication system further includes a relay terminal device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0094] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 suitable for embodiments of the present application.

[0095] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device accessing a network through a relay terminal device according to the present application.

[0096] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a process of a remote terminal device supporting Layer 2 relay communication according to the present application.

[0097] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the communication process of the remote terminal device provided in this application switching from a direct connection to an indirect connection.

[0098] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the multipath transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0099] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the process by which an access network device obtains information about a relay terminal device, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0100] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process by which a core network element determines the multipath transmission method according to an embodiment of this application.

[0101] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process by which a terminal device determines the use of a multipath transmission method, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0102] Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0103] Figure 10 This is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0104] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0105] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0106] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0107] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided in an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 1 As shown, this network architecture may include user equipment 110, (wireless) access network equipment 120, user plane network element 130, data network 140, authentication server 150, mobility management network element 160, session management network element 170, application network element 180, unified data management network element 190, policy control network element 191, network function repository function network element 192, network openness network element 193, and network slice selection function network element 194, etc. The following describes each network element involved in this network architecture.

[0108] 1. User equipment (UE) 110: The user equipment can also be referred to as a terminal, an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device. The terminal in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a pad, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal in a 5G network, or a terminal in a future evolution network, etc.

[0109] Among them, the wearable device can also be referred to as a wearable smart device, which is a general term for devices that are designed and developed by applying wearable technology to daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. The wearable device is a portable device that is directly worn on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also a device that realizes powerful functions through software support and data interaction and cloud interaction. The general wearable smart device includes a device with full functions and large size, which can realize complete or partial functions without relying on a smart phone, such as a smart watch or smart glasses, and a device that focuses on a certain application function and needs to be used in cooperation with other devices such as a smart phone, such as various smart wristbands and smart jewelry for monitoring vital signs.

[0110] 2、(Radio) Access Network (R)AN 120: The access network device can also be referred to as an access device. The (R)AN can manage radio resources, provide access services for user equipment, and complete forwarding of user equipment data between the user equipment and the core network. The (R)AN can also be understood as a base station in the network.

[0111] Exemplarily, the access network device in the embodiments of the present application can be any kind of communication device with wireless transceiving function for communication with user equipment. The access network device includes but is not limited to: an evolved NodeB (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home evolved NodeB (HeNB) or a home Node B (HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission point (TP), or a transmission and reception point (TRP), etc. It can also be a gNB or a transmission point (TRP or TP) in a 5G, such as a NR system, one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) antenna panels of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU), etc.

[0112] In some deployments, a gNB can include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU. The gNB can also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements part of the functions of the gNB, and the DU implements part of the functions of the gNB. For example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, implements the radio resource control (RRC), and the functions of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. The DU is responsible for processing the physical layer protocol and real-time services, and implements the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer. The AAU implements part of the physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and related functions of the active antenna. The information of the RRC layer is generated by the CU and eventually encapsulated into the PHY layer information through the PHY layer of the DU, or transformed from the information of the PHY layer. Therefore, in this architecture, high-layer signaling such as RRC layer signaling can also be considered as being sent by the DU or by the DU+AAU. It can be understood that the access network device can be a device including one or more of the CU node, the DU node, and the AAU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into an access network device in the radio access network (RAN) or an access network device in the core network (CN), which is not limited in the present application.

[0113] 3. User plane network element 130: As an interface with the data network, it completes the functions of user plane data forwarding, session / stream level-based charging statistics, bandwidth limitation, etc. That is, packet routing and forwarding, quality of service (QoS) processing of user plane data, etc.

[0114] In the 5G communication system, the user plane network element can be a user plane function (UPF) network element.

[0115] 4. Data network 140: Provides, for example, operator services, Internet access, or third-party services, and contains servers that implement video source encoding, rendering, etc. on the server side. In the 5G communication system, the data network can be a data network (DN).

[0116] 5、Authentication server 150: performs security authentication of a user. In the 5G communication system, the authentication server can be an authentication server function (AUSF).

[0117] 6、Mobility management network element 160: mainly used for mobility management and access management, etc. In the 5G communication system, the access management network element can be an access and mobility management function (AMF), which mainly performs functions such as mobility management, access authentication / authorization, etc. In addition, it is also responsible for transferring user policies between the terminal and the policy control function (PCF) network element.

[0118] 7、Session management network element 170: mainly used for session management, IP address allocation and management of user equipment, selection of manageable user plane functions, policy control and charging function interface termination point, and downlink data notification, etc.

[0119] In the 5G communication system, the session management network element can be a session management function (SMF) network element, which completes terminal IP address allocation, UPF selection, and charging and QoS policy control, etc.

[0120] 8、Application network element 180: In the 5G communication system, the application network element can be an application function (AF) network element, which represents the third party or the application function of the operator, is the interface for the 5G network to obtain external application data, and is mainly used for transmitting the demand of the application side to the network side.

[0121] 9、Unified data management network element 190: responsible for the management of user identification, subscription data, authentication data, and the registration management of service network elements of users. In the 5G communication system, the unified data management network element can be a unified data management (UDM).

[0122] 10、Policy control network element 191: including user subscription data management function, policy control function, charging policy control function, quality of service (QoS) control, etc., a unified policy framework for guiding network behavior, providing policy rule information for control plane function network elements (such as AMF, SMF network elements, etc.), etc.

[0123] In the 5G communication system, the policy control network element can be a PCF.

[0124] 11. Network slice selection function network element 194: responsible for selecting a network slice for a UE. In a 5G communication system, this application network element can be a network slice selection function (NSSF) network element.

[0125] 12. Network function repository function network element 192: provides storage and selection functions for network function entity information for other core network elements. In a 5G communication system, this network element can be a network function repository function (NRF) network element.

[0126] 13. Network exposure network element 193: in a 5G communication system, this network exposure network element can be a network element function (NEF) network element, which is mainly used to expose the services and capabilities of 3GPP network functions to AF, and also allows AF to provide information to 3GPP network functions.

[0127] In future communication systems, such as a 6G communication system, the above-mentioned network elements or devices can still use their names in the 5G communication system, or can have other names, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. The functions of the above-mentioned network elements or devices can be completed by one independent network element, or can be completed by several network elements together. In actual deployment, the network elements in the core network can be deployed on the same or different physical devices. For example, as one possible deployment, the AMF and the SMF can be deployed on the same physical device. For another example, the network elements of the 5G core network can be deployed on the same physical device as the network elements of the 4G core network. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0128] It can be understood that Figure 1 is only an example and does not constitute any limitation on the protection scope of the present application. The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can also involve Figure 1 network elements not shown in the figure, and of course the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can also only include Figure 1 part of the network elements shown in the figure.

[0129] In Figure 1 the network architecture shown in the figure, the terminal is connected with the AMF through the N1 interface, the (R)AN is connected with the AMF through the N2 interface, and the (R)AN is connected with the UPF through the N3 interface. The UPFs are connected through the N9 interface, and the UPF is interconnected with the DN through the N6 interface. The SMF controls the UPF through the N4 interface.

[0130] It can be understood that the network architecture applied to the embodiments of the present application is only an example, and the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto, and any network architecture capable of realizing the functions of the above-mentioned network elements is applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0131] With the rapid development of mobile communication, the widespread use of new service types such as video chat, VR / AR and other data services increases the user's demand for bandwidth, and D2D communication has been applied to 4G and 5G network systems. In the existing network architecture (as shown in the figure), the terminal device can be directly connected to the access network device for communication, of course, the terminal device can also support communication with the access network device through the relay terminal device, at this time, the communication between the terminal device and the relay terminal device is D2D communication, which can make the terminal device share the frequency spectrum resources with the cell users under the control of the cell network, and can effectively improve the utilization rate of frequency spectrum resources. Figure 1

[0132] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a terminal device accessing a network through a relay terminal device is shown.

[0133] When the remote terminal device 10 is outside the coverage of the access network device 30, or the communication signal between the remote terminal device 10 and the access network device 30 (for example, remote UE) (for example, RAN) is not good, the communication mode of the remote terminal device 10 connecting to the access network device 30 through the relay terminal device 20 (for example, relay UE) can be established, so that the remote terminal device 10 can communicate with the access network device 30. As shown in the figure, the remote terminal device 10 can realize connection with the network side device through the relay terminal device, Figure 2 Figure 2 The network side device shown includes the access network device 30 and the UPF, of course, Figure 2 The network side device shown is only an example, Figure 2 Other network side devices can also be included, and the present application does not make any limitation thereto.

[0134] ​​It should be understood that the remote terminal device is a terminal device connected to the access network device through non-direct communication, for example, the remote terminal device and the access network device cannot directly communicate, and the assistance of the relay terminal device is required, that is, the remote terminal device and the access network device use non-direct communication in the case of indirect connection, that is, the remote terminal device and the access network device communicate through an indirect path. The relay terminal device is a terminal device that assists the remote terminal device to access the network side device. When the remote terminal device does not need the assistance of the relay terminal device when communicating with the access network device, the remote terminal device and the access network device are in a state of direct connection, and the remote terminal device and the access network device use direct communication in the case of direct connection, that is, the remote terminal device and the access network device communicate through a direct path.

[0135] Figure 3 A flowchart of a process for supporting layer 2 relay (L2 relay) communication for a remote terminal device. Figure 3 The method 100 shown includes:

[0136] Optionally, in step S110, the remote terminal device (illustrated as a remote UE) and the relay terminal device (illustrated as a relay UE) are initially registered to the network.

[0137] It should be understood that the remote terminal device may not be registered in the case of not being directly connected to the network, at which time registration in step S174 is required.

[0138] In step S120, the remote terminal device obtains authorization information from PCF#1 (the PCF corresponding to the remote terminal device), and the authorization information includes that the UE is authorized for non-direct communication, that is, the UE can serve as a remote terminal device. The relay terminal device obtains authorization information from PCF#2 (the PCF corresponding to the relay terminal device), and the authorization information includes that the UE is authorized for non-direct communication, that is, the UE can serve as a relay terminal device.

[0139] It should be understood that if the remote terminal device is not registered to the network, preconfigured authorization information is used. Among them, the PCF corresponding to the terminal device can be understood as the PCF responsible for providing the terminal device policy when the terminal device is registered.

[0140] In step S130, a discovery and selection process of the relay terminal device.

[0141] In step S140, the remote terminal device sends a direct communication request message to the relay terminal device, and the request message is used to establish a PC5 link between the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device. Correspondingly, the relay terminal device receives the direct communication request message.

[0142] Step S150, when the relay terminal device receives the direct communication request message, if the relay terminal device is not in the connected state (RRC connected), the relay terminal device triggers a service request (i.e. the relay terminal device initiates a service request) to the access network device (RAN is exemplified in the figure) and the AMF #2 corresponding to the relay terminal device, so that the relay terminal device enters the connected state.

[0143] Step S160, corresponding to the direct communication request message sent by the remote terminal device, the relay terminal device sends a direct communication response message to the remote terminal device, and correspondingly, the remote terminal device receives the direct communication response message, thereby completing the establishment of the PC5 link between the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device.

[0144] It should be understood that after step S160, the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device have completed the establishment of the PC5 link, at this time the relay terminal device is in the connected state.

[0145] Step S170, step S171, step S172, and step S173 are the process of the remote terminal device establishing an RRC connection to the access network device through the relay terminal device.

[0146] Specifically, the relay terminal device forwards the uplink and downlink signaling (such as RRC establishment request message, RRC establishment message) of the remote terminal device according to the access stratum layer configuration, so that the remote terminal device accesses the access network device and establishes an RRC connection from the remote terminal device to the access network device.

[0147] Step S174, the remote terminal device initiates a non-access stratum (NAS) request to the AMF #1 (the AMF corresponding to the remote terminal device) through the access network device. Wherein, the AMF #1 corresponding to the remote terminal device can be understood as the AMF responsible for the mobility management of the remote terminal device when the remote terminal device registers.

[0148] It should be understood that if the remote terminal device does not initially register in step S110, the NAS message is an initial registration message. If the remote terminal device has registered in step S110, the NAS message is a service request message.

[0149] Optionally, in the service request message, the remote terminal device can select to activate a protocol data unit (PDU) session.

[0150] Optionally, if the NAS message is an initial registration message, the remote terminal device initiates a PDU session establishment procedure at step S180.

[0151] At step S190, after the PDU session is established, data between the remote terminal device and the UPF#1 (the UPF corresponding to the remote terminal device, i.e., the UPF transmitting data for the remote terminal device) is forwarded through the relay terminal device and the access network device. The relay terminal device forwards uplink and downlink data transmitted between the remote terminal device and the access network device according to the access layer configuration.

[0152] It should be understood that the protocol stack between the relay terminal device and the access network device needs to support an adaptation layer, which is used to distinguish the data of the remote terminal device by the relay terminal device and the access network device.

[0153] Figure 4 A communication procedure for switching the remote terminal device from direct connection to indirect connection. Figure 4 The method 200 shown includes:

[0154] At S210, in the case where the remote terminal device (e.g., remote UE) is directly connected to the access network device (e.g., RAN), uplink and downlink data can be directly transmitted between the remote terminal device and the access network device, i.e., the uplink and downlink data transmitted between the remote terminal device and the access network device is not forwarded by the relay terminal device (e.g., relay UE).

[0155] At S220, after the remote terminal device accesses the access network device, the access network device first sends measurement configuration information to the remote terminal device, which includes signal threshold information. The measurement configuration information indicates the remote terminal device to send a discovery message for discovering a relay terminal device when the measured signal strength of the serving cell is lower than the signal threshold information. After the remote terminal device discovers a candidate relay terminal device, the remote terminal device reports the identification information of the candidate relay terminal device to the access network device.

[0156] At S230, the access network device determines to switch the remote terminal device to a target relay terminal device. Specifically, the access network device can select the target relay terminal device according to the signal quality between the relay terminal device and the access network device and / or the signal quality between the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device.

[0157] At S240, the access network device sends configuration information (e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message) to the target relay terminal device, which is used to transmit signaling or data of the remote terminal device. Correspondingly, after the target relay terminal device receives the configuration information, the target relay terminal device sends a response message (e.g., an RRC reconfiguration complete message).

[0158] It should be understood that the configuration information can include identification information of the remote terminal device, so that the sender needs to add the identification information of the remote terminal device on the packet header (such as on the adaptation layer) when transmitting the data of the remote terminal device between the access network device and the target relay terminal device, so as to facilitate the receiver to identify the data / signaling of the remote terminal device.

[0159] S250, the access network device sends configuration information, such as an RRC reconfiguration message (RRCReconfiguration message), to the remote terminal device, and the configuration information is used to transmit the signaling or data of the remote terminal device to the access network device through the relay terminal device. The configuration information can include the identification of the target relay terminal device and the configuration information (such as logical channel number, layer 2 identification, etc.) of the PC5 link between the remote terminal device and the target relay terminal device. The identification of the target relay terminal device is used for the remote terminal device to determine through which relay terminal device to connect to the access network device, and the configuration information of the PC5 link between the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device is used for transmitting the data of the remote terminal device between the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device.

[0160] Optionally, the method 200 further includes:

[0161] Step S260, if there is no PC5 link between the remote terminal device and the target relay terminal device, the PC5 link between the remote terminal device and the target relay terminal device is established in this step.

[0162] Step S270, in response to the configuration message in S250, the remote terminal device sends a response message, such as an RRC reconfiguration complete message (RRCReconfigurationComplete message), to the access network device through the target relay terminal device.

[0163] Step S280, after the remote terminal device is switched from direct communication with the access network device to indirect communication with the access network device through the relay terminal device, the data transmission between the remote terminal device and the access network device is forwarded by the relay terminal device.

[0164] The following describes a redundant transmission scheme that can improve the reliability of data transmission between the access network device and the terminal device.

[0165] The redundant transmission scheme between the access network device and the terminal device is to introduce dual connectivity (DC). Specifically, the access network device is divided into a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN), and the dual connectivity refers to the connection between the MN and the terminal device and the connection between the SN and the terminal device.

[0166] The following line redundancy transmission example: the MN receives data from the UPF, which can be sent directly to the terminal device through the direct path between the MN and the terminal device, or sent to the terminal device through the indirect path between the SN and the terminal device (i.e. the data is first sent to the SN, and then sent to the terminal device by the SN), and the terminal device receives the data and performs deduplication.

[0167] In the above-mentioned scheme of remote terminal device communication through layer 2 relay terminal device, there is only one communication link between the remote terminal device and the access network device, i.e. remote terminal device-relay terminal device-access network device. In the scheme of switching from direct communication to indirect communication of the remote terminal device, the remote terminal device directly communicates with the access network device before switching, and indirectly communicates with the access network device through the relay terminal device after switching. It can be seen that there is only one communication link between the remote terminal device and the access network device before and after switching, so the reliability is low during data transmission.

[0168] The above-mentioned scheme can improve the reliability of data transmission, i.e. a redundancy transmission scheme for improving the reliability of data transmission between RAN and UE. In this redundancy transmission scheme, the MN and the SN have interconnection relationship, which requires high deployment of the network.

[0169] The present application provides a method for transmitting data through multiple paths, which can improve the reliability of data transmission between RAN and UE.

[0170] Figure 5 A flowchart of the method for transmitting data through multiple paths is provided. Figure 5 The method 300 includes:

[0171] In step S310, the access network device determines a plurality of paths for transmitting a first quality of service (QoS) flow of a terminal device, the plurality of paths including at least two paths in a first path set, the first path set including N indirect paths and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device, wherein the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0172] It should be understood that the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, that is, there are N relay terminal devices between the access network device and the terminal device, so there are N indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device.

[0173] Optionally, the access network device determines the plurality of paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device by way 1 or way 2, including:

[0174] Manner 1: The access network device establishes multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device, wherein when there is only one path between the access network device and the terminal device, the path can be a direct path or an indirect path, and the access network device needs to establish other paths for the first QoS flow of the terminal device.

[0175] Case 1: The other paths include a direct path. The access network device establishes the direct path with the terminal device by sending an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device (e.g., step S250).

[0176] Case 2: The other paths include an indirect path. The access network device receives measurement reporting information from the terminal device (e.g., step S220), determines a target relay terminal device (see step S230), and then establishes the indirect path with the terminal device by sending an RRC reconfiguration message to the relay terminal device (e.g., step S240) and sending an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device (e.g., step S250).

[0177] Manner 2: The access network device selects multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow, wherein when there are multiple paths between the access network device and the terminal device, the access network device needs to select a relay terminal device path for the first QoS flow of the terminal device. The access network device uses all or part of the existing paths between the access network device and the terminal device to transmit the first QoS flow.

[0178] Specifically, the access network device can select multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow according to the signal quality between the relay terminal device and the access network device and / or the signal quality between the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device. For example, when the signal quality between the relay terminal device and the access network device is lower than a set threshold, the access network device does not select an indirect path through the relay terminal device as a path for transmitting the first QoS flow. For another example, when the signal quality between the relay terminal device and the access network device is higher than a set threshold, or the signal quality between the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device is higher than a set threshold, the access network device selects an indirect path through the relay terminal device as a path for transmitting the first QoS flow.

[0179] For example, if there are multiple paths between the access network device and the terminal device, the access network device determines whether the first QoS flow of the terminal device can be transmitted using the existing multiple paths. If yes, the access network device does not need to establish multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device. If not, the access network device establishes multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device.

[0180] The following describes how the access network device determines the number of multiple paths.

[0181] Optionally, the access network device acquires maximum path number information corresponding to the multi-path transmission mode, and determines the number of the plurality of paths according to the maximum path number information.

[0182] For example, the access network device acquires the maximum path number information corresponding to the multi-path transmission mode from the network management device. It should be understood that in this case, the maximum path number does not distinguish between terminal devices, i.e., the same maximum path number is used for each terminal device.

[0183] For example, the SMF or the AMF sends the maximum path number information corresponding to the multi-path transmission mode to the access network device, and correspondingly, the access network device receives the maximum path number information and determines the number of the plurality of paths according to the maximum path number information.

[0184] Specifically, in the terminal device registration process, the AMF acquires the maximum path number information of the terminal device from the UDM, and the AMF sends the maximum path number information of the terminal device to the access network device. The maximum path number information can be used as the subscription information of the terminal device. Alternatively, the maximum path number information is acquired by the SMF from the UDM, and is sent to the access network device by the AMF in the session establishment or modification process. The maximum path number information and the first indication information can be carried in the same message or in different messages, and the present application does not make any limitation in this regard.

[0185] Optionally, the access network device determines the number of the plurality of paths according to the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow. The higher the QoS parameter of the QoS flow (the higher the reliability or the higher the rate requirement), the more paths are required to transmit the QoS flow. For example, the access network device locally configures or acquires from the network management device or the core network device a correspondence between the QoS parameter and the number of paths, and determines the number of the plurality of paths according to the correspondence.

[0186] Optionally, the access network device determines the number of the plurality of paths according to the maximum path number information and the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow. For example, the access network device locally configures or acquires from the network management device or the core network device a correspondence between the QoS parameter and the number of paths, and determines the number of the plurality of paths according to the correspondence, which does not exceed the maximum path number.

[0187] Optionally, before step S310, i.e., before the access network device determines the plurality of paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device, the method 300 further includes:

[0188] In step S309, the access network device determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow.

[0189] The access network device can determine to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow in the following ways:

[0190] Way 1:

[0191] Optionally, before step S309, the method 300 further includes:

[0192] At step S307, the core network element sends first indication information to the access network device, the first indication information indicating to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first indication information and determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the first indication information.

[0193] Specifically, after receiving the first indication information, the access network device determines the multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow according to the first indication information. The first indication information includes a QoS flow identifier (QFI) corresponding to the first QoS flow, or the access network device receives the first indication information and the QoS flow identifier corresponding to the first QoS flow in the same message.

[0194] For example, the core network element is an SMF, and the SMF sends the first indication information to the access network device through an AMF using N2 Session Management information. In addition, the SMF also sends QoS parameter information associated with the first QoS flow to the access network device, such as a QoS profile, which includes the latency, reliability, rate, and priority associated with the first QoS flow.

[0195] Alternatively, the SMF can also send the first indication information to the terminal device through a NAS message. After receiving the first indication information, the terminal device sends request information to the SMF or the access network device, requesting to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow.

[0196] It should be understood that the above-mentioned first indication information can also be regarded as request information, that is, after receiving the first indication information, the access network device can not execute according to the content indicated by the first indication information, that is, the core network element requests to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow, and the access network device further judges whether to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow, for example, the access network device considers whether it supports the multi-path transmission capability, and the present application does not make any limitation on this.

[0197] Optionally, the first indication information further comprises a specific form of the multi-path transmission mode, i.e. duplication transmission or split transmission.

[0198] For example, if the specific form of the multi-path transmission mode is duplication transmission, taking the downlink QoS flow as an example, the access network device duplicates the data packets of the first QoS flow, transmits the same data packets to the terminal device through multiple paths, and the terminal device de-duplicates the data packets. If the specific form of the multi-path transmission mode is split transmission, taking the downlink QoS flow as an example, the access network device transmits different data packets of the first QoS flow to the terminal device through different paths.

[0199] Mode 2:

[0200] Optionally, the access network device can determine to adopt the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the authorization information, which indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or is authorized to adopt the multi-path transmission mode. The terminal device being authorized as a remote terminal device can also mean that the terminal device is authorized to access the network through a relay terminal device. Specifically, in the registration process of the terminal device, the access network device receives the authorization information from the AMF.

[0201] For example, if the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or is authorized to adopt the multi-path transmission mode, the access network device determines to adopt the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow; if the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is not authorized as a remote terminal device or is not authorized to adopt the multi-path transmission mode, the access network device determines not to adopt the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow; if the access network device does not receive the authorization information from the AMF, the access network device determines not to adopt the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow.

[0202] Mode 3:

[0203] Optionally, when the access network device has preconfigured information locally, the access network device can determine to adopt the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the preconfigured information and the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow obtained from the SMF.

[0204] For example, the RAN can determine to adopt the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the local preconfigured information and the 5G QoS identifier (5QI) information in the QoS parameter information, wherein the local preconfigured information comprises which 5QI information corresponds to the QoS flow that needs to adopt the multi-path transmission mode (5QI is the index value of the QoS parameter, and each 5QI value corresponds to a set of QoS parameters).

[0205] Mode 4:

[0206] Optionally, after receiving the first indication information from the core network element, the access network device determines, according to the first indication information and the authorization information, that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode.

[0207] Optionally, after receiving the first indication information from the core network element, the access network device further determines, according to the authorization information, that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode.

[0208] Mode 5:

[0209] Optionally, in a case where the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow are not fulfilled, the access network device determines that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode.

[0210] Optionally, in a case where the access network device determines that the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow are not fulfilled, the access network device determines that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode to attempt to fulfill the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow.

[0211] Optionally, the access network device can further determine a specific form of the multi-path transmission mode, and the specific form of the multi-path transmission mode can be duplication transmission or split transmission.

[0212] Optionally, if the packet error rate (PER) in the QoS parameters is not fulfilled, the specific form of the multi-path transmission mode can be duplication transmission, i.e., taking a downstream QoS flow as an example, the access network device duplicates the data packets of the first QoS flow, transmits the same data packets to the terminal device through multiple paths, and the terminal device de-duplicates the data packets. It can be understood that the packet error rate in the QoS parameters is not fulfilled, which means that the actual packet error rate of the access network device in transmitting the first QoS flow is higher than the packet error rate in the QoS parameters. For another example, if the guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR) in the QoS parameters is not fulfilled, the specific form of the multi-path transmission mode can be split transmission, i.e., taking a downstream QoS flow as an example, the access network device transmits different data packets of the first QoS flow to the terminal device through different paths. It can be understood that the guaranteed flow bit rate in the QoS parameters is not fulfilled, which means that the actual flow bit rate of the access network device in transmitting the first QoS flow is lower than the guaranteed flow bit rate in the QoS parameters.

[0213] Mode 6:

[0214] Optionally, when the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied, the access network device can further determine to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the authorization information.

[0215] Option 7:

[0216] Optionally, the access network device can further receive configuration information from the SMF, the configuration information can be that the multi-path transmission mode needs to be used for the first QoS flow when the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied. When the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied, the access network device can further determine to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the configuration information.

[0217] Option 8:

[0218] Optionally, before step S309, the method 300 further includes:

[0219] In step S308, the terminal device sends request information to the access network device, the request information is used to request to use the multi-path transmission mode to transmit the first QoS flow, and correspondingly, the access network device receives the request information and determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the request information. For example, the terminal device can send the request information to the access network device through an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0220] Specifically, after receiving the request information, the access network device determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the request information. Or after receiving the request information, the access network device determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the request information and authorization information, the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or is authorized to use the multi-path transmission mode.

[0221] It should be understood that the above different options are parallel schemes, and the access network device can also determine to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow in combination with one or more of the above options, and the present application does not make any limitation in this regard.

[0222] Next, how the access network device determines the preference of the multi-path transmission mode, i.e., the access network device determines the multi-path transmission mode to include the multi-path transmission mode through the relay terminal device.

[0223] Optionally, in step 307, the access network device receives the first indication information, in addition to indicating to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow, the first indication information can further include a field indicating that the multi-path transmission mode includes the multi-path transmission mode through the relay terminal device, i.e., the field indicates the preference of the multi-path transmission mode (for example, the field can be Relay link prefer, indicating the preference of the multi-path transmission mode through the relay terminal device).

[0224] Alternatively, the first indication information directly indicates that the first QoS flow is transmitted by using the multi-path transmission mode through the relay terminal device. The multi-path transmission mode through the relay terminal device can be understood as that the indirect path in the multiple paths is an indirect path between the access network device and the terminal device through the relay terminal device, i.e., the indirect path in the multiple paths is not an indirect path between the access network device and the terminal device through the secondary node. Therefore, after receiving the first indication information, the access network device can determine the type of the multi-path transmission mode, for example, including the indirect transmission mode through the relay terminal device and the direct transmission mode, and does not select the indirect transmission mode by using the dual connectivity (the field indicating the preference of the indirect transmission mode by using the dual connectivity can be DC prefer).

[0225] Optionally, the access network device determining to transmit the first QoS flow by using the multi-path transmission mode can further include that the access network device determines to transmit the first QoS flow by using the multi-path transmission mode through the relay terminal device.

[0226] For example, the access network device determines to transmit the first QoS flow by using the multi-path transmission mode through the relay terminal device according to its own capability. The capability of the access network device can be that the protocol stack of the access network device supports the adaptation layer, or the access network device supports the layer 2 relay transmission, or the access network device has a connection with the layer 2 relay.

[0227] For example, the access network device determines to transmit the first QoS flow by using the multi-path transmission mode through the relay terminal device according to that the remote terminal device cannot perform DC. Specifically, the access network device can determine that the terminal device cannot perform DC according to the radio capability of the remote terminal device obtained from the remote terminal device or the AMF, or the connection relationship of the access network device, wherein the connection relationship of the access network device refers to whether the access network device has a direct connection with other access network devices or whether the access network device can be connected with other secondary nodes as a master node. In step S320, the access network device transmits the first QoS flow through the multiple paths.

[0228] Optionally, the access network device establishes a dedicated data radio bearer (DRB) for the first QoS flow, and transmits the first QoS flow on the data radio bearer through the multiple paths. Specifically, taking the downlink QoS flow as an example, after receiving the data of the first QoS flow from the UPF, the access network device maps the data of the first QoS flow to the data radio bearer, and sends the data of the data radio bearer to the terminal device through the multiple paths (including the direct path and the indirect path). The terminal device receives the data of the data radio bearer from the multiple paths, eliminates the duplicated data, and submits the data to the application layer.

[0229] It should be understood that the independent data radio bearer refers to that the first QoS flow has an independent data radio bearer which is not shared with other QoS flows.

[0230] Optionally, the method 300 further comprises:

[0231] In step S330, when the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not met by the multi-path transmission, the access network device sends first information to the core network element, and correspondingly, the core network element receives the first information.

[0232] The first information indicates that the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not met. Or

[0233] The first information indicates that the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not met in the case that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode. In this case, the first information includes two fields, the first field indicates that the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not met, and the second field indicates that the transmission mode adopted by the first QoS flow is the multi-path transmission mode. Alternatively, the first information includes one field, which indicates that the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not met in the case that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode.

[0234] For example, the access network device sends the first information to the core network element SMF through the AMF, and the first information is used to inform the SMF that the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not met in the case of multi-path transmission. In this way, the SMF does not need to trigger the access network device to establish the multi-path transmission of the first QoS flow again after receiving the first information, and the SMF notifies the terminal device of the change of the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow after receiving the first information.

[0235] It should be understood that the first information is sent by the access network device in the case that the access network device has adopted the multi-path transmission mode to transmit the first QoS flow and the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not met.

[0236] For the description of step S310, case 2 (i.e., the indirect path is included in the other paths) in mode 1 (i.e., the access network device establishes multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device), i.e., the access network device establishes an indirect path for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device, it should be understood that the information of the relay terminal device needs to be obtained before the indirect path is established.

[0237] The method 400 for obtaining the information of the relay terminal device by the access network device is described below, Figure 6 The method 400 is shown as follows:

[0238] At step S410, the access network device sends second information to the terminal device, the second information being used to trigger the terminal device to report information of a relay terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second information.

[0239] For example, the access network device sends an RRC message to the remote terminal device, the RRC message including the second information, the RRC message being used to request the remote terminal device to report a measurement report or a relay terminal device list (Relay UE list). In addition, the access network device can also indicate, through the RRC message, that the relay terminal device list is used to establish a multi-path transmission, or the access network device can also indicate, through the RRC message, that only relay terminal devices under the same cell are discovered, so that the remote terminal device only discovers and reports information of relay terminal devices with the same cell identifier (Cell ID) as a cell serving the remote terminal device.

[0240] Optionally, the second information can also include indication information of sending or receiving a relay discovery message, or the second information can also include information of a discovery mode A (the discovery mode A being that the terminal device receives a relay discovery message) or a discovery mode B (the discovery mode B being that the terminal device sends a relay discovery message). In this way, after receiving the second information, the terminal device participates in relay discovery or sends or receives a relay discovery message by using the discovery mode A or the discovery mode B. Specifically, the access network device determines the second information according to other information obtained from the terminal device or the AMF. The terminal device can actively report to the RAN that the terminal device tends to send or receive a discovery message (or the discovery mode A or the discovery mode B), or the RAN obtains, from the AMF, that the terminal device is authorized to be a receiving terminal device or a sending terminal device.

[0241] Optionally, the method 400 further includes:

[0242] At step S420, after receiving the second information, the terminal device participates in relay discovery.

[0243] For example, after receiving the second information, the terminal device participates in a relay discovery process, the second information being a trigger condition for the terminal device to participate in relay discovery. It should be understood that, before receiving the second information, the terminal device does not participate in relay discovery, i.e., the terminal device does not actively send a relay discovery message (corresponding to the discovery mode B) or receive a relay discovery message (corresponding to the discovery mode A). The terminal device participating in the relay discovery process can include the terminal device actively sending a relay discovery message (corresponding to the discovery mode B) or the terminal device receiving a relay discovery message (corresponding to the discovery mode A). It should be understood that, when the terminal device receives the second information, the remote terminal device can ignore a configuration rule sent by the access network device (a discovery process can be started only when an air interface signal is lower than a threshold, i.e., step S220).

[0244] In the relay discovery procedure, the relay discovery message sent by the remote terminal device actively can further include a Cell ID, which is used to discover only the relay terminal device residing in the cell (the cell providing service for the remote terminal device) identified by the Cell ID, so that the relay terminal device receiving the discovery message determines whether the identity of the cell in which the relay terminal device resides is the same as the Cell ID, and feeds back a response message only if they are the same. In the relay discovery message received by the terminal device, the Cell ID of the cell in which the relay terminal device resides is included, and the terminal device determines whether the identity of the cell in which the terminal device resides is the same as the Cell ID, and feeds back a response message or establishes a connection with the relay terminal device only if they are the same.

[0245] Optionally, when the second information further includes indication information of sending or receiving the relay discovery message, or information of the discovery mode A or the discovery mode B, the terminal device participates in the relay discovery by using the discovery mode A or B, or the terminal device sends or receives the discovery message.

[0246] And in step S450, the terminal device sends information of at least one relay terminal device to the access network device, and correspondingly, the access network device receives the information of the at least one relay terminal device.

[0247] For example, the information of the at least one relay terminal device can be carried in a measurement report sent by the terminal device to the access network device, and the information of the relay terminal device includes identification information of the relay terminal device, such as a cell-radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), and the information of the relay terminal device can further include a Cell ID of the cell in which the relay terminal device resides.

[0248] The information of the relay terminal device can further include signal quality information between the relay terminal device and the access network device and / or signal quality information between the relay terminal device and the remote terminal device, wherein the signal quality information can be a reference signal receiving power (RSRP) or a reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ).

[0249] After the access network device receives the information of the at least one relay terminal device, it can establish at least one indirect path in the multiple paths according to the information of the at least one relay terminal device.

[0250] Optionally, the access network device determines the relay terminal device for establishing the indirect path according to the information of the at least one relay terminal device, and then establishes the indirect path through the selected relay terminal device. For example, the access network device receives the information of 10 relay terminal devices, and selects one or more relay terminal devices from the 10 relay terminal devices. Specifically, the access network device can select the relay terminal device according to the signal quality information between each relay terminal device and the access network device and / or the signal quality information between each relay terminal device and the terminal device. For example, when the signal quality between the relay terminal device and the access network device is lower than a set threshold, the access network device does not select the relay terminal device; for another example, when the signal quality between the relay terminal device and the access network device is higher than a set threshold or the signal quality between the remote UE and the relay terminal device is higher than a set threshold, the access network device selects the relay terminal device.

[0251] Optionally, before step S450, the method 400 further includes:

[0252] In step S430, the access network device sends third information to the at least one relay terminal device, and the third information is used to trigger the at least one relay terminal device to participate in relay discovery. Correspondingly, the at least one relay terminal device receives the third information.

[0253] For example, the access network device sends the third information to the at least one relay terminal device, and the at least one relay terminal device includes the relay terminal device 1 and the relay terminal device 2. After receiving the third information, the relay terminal device 1 and the relay terminal device 2 participate in relay discovery respectively. Assuming that the information list of the relay terminal device sent by the terminal device to the access network device includes the information of 10 relay terminal devices, which includes the information of the relay terminal device 1 and the relay terminal device 2, and the access network device determines that the multiple paths are 3 paths, which include two indirect paths and one direct path, and the two indirect paths are the indirect paths through the relay terminal device 1 and the relay terminal device 2.

[0254] For example, the access network device can send the third information in the form of unicast or broadcast, so as to activate the relay terminal device to participate in relay discovery. In the case of sending the third information through unicast, the access network device can send an RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the authorization information of the relay terminal device (whether authorized as a relay terminal device, the authorization information is obtained by the AMF from the UDM in the relay terminal device registration process and sent to the access network device), and the RRC message includes the third information, that is, the activation of relay discovery indication. In the case of sending the third information through broadcast, the third information is carried in the system information block (SIB) message.

[0255] Optionally, the third information can further comprise indication information of sending or receiving the relay discovery message, or the third information can further comprise information of discovery mode A or discovery mode B. In this way, after receiving the third information, the relay terminal device participates in the relay discovery by using the discovery mode A or B, or sends or receives the relay discovery message.

[0256] Specifically, the access network device determines the third information according to other information obtained from the relay terminal device or the AMF. The relay terminal device can actively report to the access network device that the relay terminal device tends to send or receive the discovery message (or discovery mode A or B), or the access network device obtains from the AMF that the relay terminal device is authorized as a receiving terminal device or a sending terminal device.

[0257] And in step S440, after receiving the third information, the relay terminal device participates in the relay discovery.

[0258] For example, after receiving the third information, the relay terminal device regards the third information as a trigger condition for participating in the relay discovery. It should be understood that before receiving the third information, the relay terminal device does not participate in the relay discovery, that is, the relay terminal device does not actively send the relay discovery message (corresponding to discovery mode A) or receive the relay discovery message (corresponding to discovery mode B). The relay terminal device participating in the relay discovery process can include the relay terminal device actively sending the relay discovery message (corresponding to discovery mode A) or the relay terminal device receiving the relay discovery message (corresponding to discovery mode B).

[0259] It should be understood that when the relay terminal device receives the second information, the relay terminal device can ignore the configuration rule sent by the access network device (the air interface signal meets a certain condition to participate in the discovery process). In the relay discovery process, the relay discovery message actively sent by the relay terminal device can further comprise a Cell ID, which represents the cell identifier in which the relay terminal device resides. In the relay discovery message received by the relay terminal device, the Cell ID of the cell in which the remote terminal device resides is included. The relay terminal device determines whether the identifier of the cell in which the relay terminal device resides is the same as the Cell ID, and if so, feeds back a response message or establishes a connection with the remote terminal device.

[0260] Optionally, the third information can further comprise indication information of sending or receiving the relay discovery message, or the third information can further comprise information of discovery mode A or discovery mode B. In this way, after receiving the third information, the relay terminal device participates in the relay discovery by using the discovery mode A or B, or sends or receives the relay discovery message.

[0261] The following introduces a method 500 for determining, by a core network element, to use a multi-path transmission mode for a first QoS flow, so that after the core network element determines to use the multi-path transmission mode, the core network element sends first indication information to an access network device. It should be understood that the method 500 can be regarded as a triggering condition of step S307 in the method 300, and the core network element in the method 500 is exemplified by an SMF. Figure 7 The method 500 shown includes:

[0262] In step S520, the core network element determines to use a multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow of the terminal device, the multi-path transmission mode including a transmission mode of at least two paths in a first path set, the first path set including N indirect paths and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device, wherein the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0263] How the core network element determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow can be as follows:

[0264] Method 1:

[0265] The core network element can determine to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to authorization information indicating that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or is authorized to use the multi-path transmission mode, and if the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is not authorized as a remote terminal device or is not authorized to use the multi-path transmission mode, the core network element determines that the multi-path transmission mode cannot be used for the first QoS flow.

[0266] For example, the core network element SMF can obtain the authorization information from the PCF or the UDM.

[0267] Alternatively, the SMF can also determine the first QoS flow to use the multi-path transmission mode according to authorization 5QI information obtained from the PCF. For example, the SMF can locally configure which 5QI corresponding to the QoS flow needs to use the multi-path transmission mode.

[0268] Alternatively, the SMF can also obtain the access network device capability (for example, whether the access network device supports redundant transmission through layer 2 relay) through the AMF, and determine the first QoS flow to use the multi-path transmission mode according to the authorization information and the access network device capability. For example, only when the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or is authorized to use the multi-path transmission mode, and the access network device capability supports redundant transmission through layer 2 relay, it is determined that the first QoS flow uses the multi-path transmission mode.

[0269] Method 2:

[0270] Optionally, the method 500 further includes:

[0271] In step S511, the terminal device sends request information to the core network element, the request information being used to request that the first data flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode, and the core network element receives the request information.

[0272] The core network element can determine, according to the request information, that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode.

[0273] Optionally, in step S511, the terminal device sends a NAS message to the AMF, and the NAS message includes the request information, and the AMF forwards the request information to the SMF.

[0274] When the first data flow is the first QoS flow, the core network element can determine, according to the request information, that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode.

[0275] When the first data flow is the first service flow, the core network element allocates a first QoS flow for the first service flow, and then determines that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode.

[0276] Method 3:

[0277] Optionally, the method 500 further includes:

[0278] In step S512, the access network device sends fourth information to the core network element, the fourth information indicating that the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied, and the core network element receives the fourth information and determines, according to the fourth information, that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode.

[0279] The core network element can determine, according to the fourth information, that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode.

[0280] Optionally, in step S512, the access network device sends the fourth information to the SMF of the core network element through the AMF, and the fourth information can be included in N2 session management information (N2 SM information).

[0281] It should be understood that the core network element can also determine, according to the above-mentioned methods, that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode, for example, the core network element determines, according to method 1 and method 2, that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode, or the core network element determines, according to method 1 and method 3, that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode, or the core network element determines, according to method 2 and method 3, that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode, or the core network element determines, according to method 1, method 2 and method 3, that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode, and the present application does not limit this.

[0282] Step S530 corresponds to Figure 3Step S307 in FIG. 3.

[0283] Optionally, in step S520, the core network element can further determine the specific form of the multi-path transmission mode, i.e., duplication transmission or split transmission. Correspondingly, the first indication information in step S530 further includes the specific form of the multi-path transmission mode.

[0284] For example, if the packet error rate in the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied, the specific form of the multi-path transmission mode can be duplication transmission. Here, the packet error rate in the QoS parameter not being satisfied can be understood as the actual packet error rate of the access network device transmitting the first QoS flow being higher than the packet error rate in the QoS parameter. For another example, if the guaranteed flow bit rate requirement in the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is high or the guaranteed flow bit rate in the fourth information received by the core network element is not satisfied, the specific form of the multi-path transmission mode can be split transmission. Here, the guaranteed flow bit rate in the QoS parameter not being satisfied can be understood as the actual flow bit rate of the access network device transmitting the first QoS flow being lower than the guaranteed flow bit rate in the QoS parameter.

[0285] The method 600 for the terminal device to determine to transmit the first QoS flow in the multi-path transmission mode is described below, so that after the terminal device determines to use the multi-path transmission mode, the terminal device sends the request information to the access network device or the core network element. It should be understood that the method 600 can be regarded as a triggering condition of step S308 in the method 300. Figure 8 The method 600 shown includes:

[0286] Step S630, the terminal device determines to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first data flow.

[0287] The terminal device can determine to use the multi-path transmission mode for the first data flow in the following ways:

[0288] Method 1:

[0289] In step S610, the core network element sends second indication information to the terminal device, the second indication information being used to indicate that the first data flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second indication information and determines that the first data flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode. For example, the core network element can be a PCF, and the first data flow can be a first service flow. In a terminal device registration process or a policy update process, the PCF sends the second indication information to the terminal device through an AMF, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the first data flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode. The first data flow can be represented as a traffic descriptor, which can be an application identifier, an application descriptor, or an IP descriptor. The IP descriptor can be in the form of an IP triple (IP address, port number, and protocol identifier). Alternatively, the PCF can send the second indication information to an SMF, and in a PDU session establishment or modification process, the SMF sends the second indication information to the terminal device through the AMF.

[0290] Optionally, the PCF sends a policy (second indication information) to the terminal device according to the authorization information, indicating which applications of the terminal device can adopt the multi-path transmission mode. The policy is in a UE route selection policy (URSP) or a policy information for ProSe communication only.

[0291] When the terminal device initiates a service, it is determined according to the policy information that the first data flow can adopt the multi-path transmission mode, so in step S640, the terminal device sends request information to the SMF to request to establish a multi-path transmission for the first data flow (first service flow or first QoS flow). The request information can be a redundant transmission request or a multiple path transmission request, and the present application does not make any limitation on this. The request information can also include packet filters corresponding to the data flow, requested QoS parameters, and a segregation indication, indicating that a separate QoS flow needs to be established for the data flow, and the QoS flow is not shared with other services.

[0292] Or, when the terminal device initiates a service, it is determined according to the policy information that the first data flow can adopt a multi-path transmission mode, a single QoS flow is requested to be established for the first data flow (first QoS flow) by the SMF, and the terminal device requests the access network device to establish multiple paths for the first QoS flow for transmission in step S650.

[0293] Mode 2:

[0294] In step S620, the core network element sends fourth information to the terminal device, and the fourth information indicates that the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not met. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the fourth information and determines to adopt a multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to the fourth information, and further executes step S640 or step S650.

[0295] For example, the core network element can be an SMF. In the terminal device, the fourth information is a trigger condition for the first QoS flow to adopt a multi-path transmission mode. Optionally, after receiving the fourth information, the terminal device further judges the authorization information. If the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or is authorized to adopt a multi-path transmission mode, the terminal device determines to adopt a multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow. If the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is not authorized as a remote terminal device or is not authorized to adopt a multi-path transmission mode, the terminal device determines that the first QoS flow cannot adopt a multi-path transmission mode.

[0296] It should be understood that before step S620, the core network element SMF obtains the fourth information in step S512. Step S640 corresponds to Figure 7 The step S511 shown in the figure, step S650 corresponds to Figure 5 The step S308 shown in the figure.

[0297] It should be understood that the terminal device can also determine to adopt a multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow in combination with the above-mentioned modes, for example, the terminal device determines to adopt a multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow according to mode 1 and mode 2, and the present application does not make any limitation in this regard.

[0298] It should be understood that the dashed steps shown in the above flowchart are optional steps, and the order of the steps is determined according to the inherent logic of the method, and the serial number shown in the figure is only an example, which does not limit the order of the steps of the present application.

[0299] It should also be understood that the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be used alone or in combination, and the present application does not make any limitation in this regard.

[0300] It should be noted that Figures 4-8 The execution subject shown in the figure is only an example, and the execution subject can also be a device supporting the implementation of the execution subject Figures 4-8The chip, the chip system, or the processor of the method is not limited in the application.

[0301] The method embodiments of the embodiments of the application are described above in combination with the drawings, and the device embodiments of the embodiments of the application are described below. It can be understood that the description of the method embodiments and the description of the device embodiments can correspond to each other, and therefore, the parts not described can be referred to the foregoing method embodiments.

[0302] It can be understood that the methods and operations realized by the core network element in each of the above method embodiments can also be realized by a component (for example, a chip or a circuit) that can be used for the core network element. The methods and operations realized by the access network device can also be realized by a component (for example, a chip or a circuit) that can be used for the access network device, and the methods and operations realized by the terminal device can also be realized by a component (for example, a chip or a circuit) that can be used for the terminal device.

[0303] The above mainly introduces the scheme provided by the embodiments of the application from the perspective of the interaction between the network elements. It can be understood that each network element, for example, the transmitting end device or the receiving end device, contains a corresponding hardware structure and / or software module for executing each function in order to realize the above functions. It can be realized by a person skilled in the art that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed in the present application can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is realized in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. A person skilled in the art can use different methods to realize the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0304] The embodiments of the application can divide the functional modules of the transmitting end device or the receiving end device according to the above method examples, for example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated in one processing module. The above integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module. It should be noted that the division of the modules in the embodiments of the application is illustrative, and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there can be another division manner. The following takes each functional module corresponding to each function as an example for description.

[0305] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided by the embodiments of the application. The communication device 700 includes a transceiver unit 710 and a processing unit 720. The transceiver unit 710 can communicate with the outside, and the processing unit 720 is used for data processing. The transceiver unit 710 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0306] Optionally, the communication apparatus 700 further includes a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions or and / or data, which can be read by the processing unit 720.

[0307] In one design, the communication apparatus 700 can be an access network device, the transceiver 710 is configured to perform the receiving or transmitting operations of the access network device in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 720 is configured to perform the internal processing operations of the access network device in the above method embodiments.

[0308] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 720 is configured to determine a plurality of paths for transmitting a first quality of service (QoS) flow of a terminal device, the plurality of paths including at least two paths in a first path set, the first path set including N indirect paths and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device, where the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device via N relay terminal devices, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The transceiver 710 is configured to transmit the first QoS flow via the plurality of paths.

[0309] In one possible implementation, the transceiver 710 is further configured to receive first indication information from a core network element, the first indication information indicating that a multi-path transmission mode is adopted for the first QoS flow. The processing unit 720 is further configured to determine the plurality of paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device according to the first indication information.

[0310] In one possible implementation, the first indication information further includes a specific form of the multi-path transmission mode, i.e., duplication transmission or split transmission.

[0311] In one possible implementation, before determining the plurality of paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device, the processing unit 720 is further configured to determine that the multi-path transmission mode is adopted for the first QoS flow.

[0312] In one possible implementation, the multi-path transmission mode includes a multi-path transmission mode via relay terminal devices.

[0313] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 720 is further configured to determine that the multi-path transmission mode is adopted for the first QoS flow according to authorization information, the authorization information indicating that the terminal device is authorized to be a remote terminal device or is authorized to adopt the multi-path transmission mode.

[0314] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 710 is further configured to receive request information from the terminal device, the request information being used to request that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode, the processor 720 is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode according to the request information, or the processor 720 is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode according to the request information and authorization information, the authorization information indicating that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or is authorized to use the multi-path transmission mode.

[0315] In a possible implementation, the processor 720 determines that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode when the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied.

[0316] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 710 is further configured to send first information to a core network element when the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied by the transmission of the first QoS flow through the multiple paths, where the first information indicates that the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied, or the first information indicates that the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied when the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode.

[0317] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 710 is further configured to send second information to the terminal device, the second information being used to trigger the terminal device to report information of a relay terminal device, and the transceiver 710 is further configured to receive information of at least one relay terminal device from the terminal device, and the processor 720 is further configured to establish an indirect path in the multiple paths according to the information of the at least one relay terminal device.

[0318] In a possible implementation, the processor 720 is further configured to send third information to the at least one relay terminal device, the third information being used to trigger the at least one relay terminal device to participate in relay discovery.

[0319] In a possible implementation, the processor 720 is further configured to establish an independent data radio bearer for the first QoS flow, and the transceiver 710 is configured to transmit the first QoS flow with the terminal device on the data radio bearer through the multiple paths.

[0320] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 710 is further configured to receive maximum path number information corresponding to the multi-path transmission mode, and the processor 720 is further configured to determine the number of the multiple paths according to the maximum path number information.

[0321] Alternatively, the communication apparatus 700 can be a component configured in an access network device, for example, a chip in an access network device.

[0322] In another design, the communication apparatus 700 can be a core network element, e.g., an SMF, the transceiver 710 is configured to perform the receiving or transmitting operation of the core network element in the above method embodiments, and the processor 720 is configured to perform the processing operation inside the core network element in the above method embodiments.

[0323] In a possible implementation, the processor 720 is configured to determine that a first quality of service (QoS) flow of a terminal device adopts a multi-path transmission manner, the multi-path transmission manner being a transmission manner including at least two paths in a first path set, the first path set including N indirect paths and a direct path between an access network device and the terminal device, where the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The transceiver 710 is configured to send first indication information, the first indication information indicating that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission manner.

[0324] In a possible implementation, the first indication information further includes a specific form of the multi-path transmission manner, i.e., copy transmission or split transmission.

[0325] In a possible implementation, the processor 720 is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission manner according to authorization information, the authorization information indicating that the terminal device is authorized to be a remote terminal device or is authorized to adopt the multi-path transmission manner.

[0326] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 710 is further configured to send second indication information to the terminal device, the second indication information indicating that a first data flow adopts the multi-path transmission manner, the first data flow including a first service flow or the first QoS flow.

[0327] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 710 is further configured to receive request information from the terminal device, the request information being used to request that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission manner, and the processor 720 is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission manner according to the request information.

[0328] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 710 is further configured to receive request information from the terminal device, the request information being used to request that a first service flow adopts the multi-path transmission manner, the processor 720 is further configured to allocate the first QoS flow for the first service flow, and the processor 720 is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission manner according to the request information.

[0329] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 710 is further configured to receive fourth information from the access network device, the fourth information indicating that the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied, and the processor 720 is further configured to determine, according to the fourth information, that the first QoS flow of the terminal device adopts the multi-path transmission mode.

[0330] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 710 is further configured to send, to the access network device, maximum path number information used to determine a number of paths for transmitting the first QoS flow.

[0331] Alternatively, the communication apparatus 700 can be a component configured in a core network element, for example, a chip in a core network element.

[0332] In this case, the transceiver 710 can be an interface circuit, a pin, or the like. Specifically, the interface circuit can include an input circuit and an output circuit, and the processor 720 can include a processing circuit.

[0333] Optionally, the transceiver 710 can also be a radio frequency module. The processor 720 can be a baseband module. The radio frequency module is mainly used for the transceiving of radio frequency signals and the conversion between radio frequency signals and baseband signals, and the baseband module is mainly used for baseband processing and controlling the base station.

[0334] Figure 10 FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 800 includes a transceiver 810 and a processor 820. The transceiver 810 can communicate with the outside, and the processor 820 is configured to process data. The transceiver 810 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0335] Optionally, the communication apparatus 800 can further include a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions or and / or data, and the processor 820 can read the instructions or and / or data in the storage unit.

[0336] In one case, the communication apparatus 800 can be a terminal device, the transceiver 810 is configured to perform the receiving or transmitting operation of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, and the processor 820 is configured to perform the internal processing operation of the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0337] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 820 is configured to determine that the first data stream is transmitted by using the multi-path transmission manner, the first data stream includes a first service flow or a first quality of service (QoS) flow, and the multi-path transmission manner includes at least two paths in a first path set, the first path set includes N indirect paths and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device, where the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The transceiver 810 is configured to send request information, where the request information is used to request that the first data stream is transmitted by using the multi-path transmission manner.

[0338] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 810 is further configured to receive second indication information from a core network element, where the second indication information indicates that the first data stream is transmitted by using the multi-path transmission manner, and the processing unit 820 is further configured to determine that the first data stream is transmitted by using the multi-path transmission manner according to the second indication information.

[0339] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 810 is further configured to receive fourth information, where the fourth information indicates that a QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not met, and the processing unit 820 is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow is transmitted by using the multi-path transmission manner according to the fourth information, or the processing unit 820 is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow is transmitted by using the multi-path transmission manner according to the fourth information and authorization information, where the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized to be a remote terminal device or is authorized to use the multi-path transmission manner.

[0340] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 810 is further configured to receive second information from the access network device, where the second information is used to trigger the terminal device to report information of a relay terminal device, and the transceiver 810 is further configured to send information of at least one relay terminal device to the access network device, where the information of the at least one relay terminal device is used to establish an indirect path in the multi-path transmission manner.

[0341] It can be understood that the communication apparatus 800 can also be a component configured in a terminal device, for example, a chip in a terminal device.

[0342] In this case, the transceiver 810 can be an interface circuit, a pin, or the like. Specifically, the interface circuit can include an input circuit and an output circuit, and the processing unit 820 can include a processing circuit.

[0343] As Figure 11As shown in the figure, this application embodiment also provides a communication device 900. The communication device 900 includes a processor 910, which is coupled to a memory 920. The memory 920 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 910 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 920, so that the methods in the above method embodiments are executed.

[0344] Optionally, the communication device 900 may include one or more processors 910.

[0345] Optionally, such as Figure 11 As shown, the communication device 900 may also include a memory 920.

[0346] Optionally, the communication device 900 may include one or more memory 920s.

[0347] Alternatively, the memory 920 can be integrated with the processor 910 or set separately.

[0348] Optionally, such as Figure 11 As shown, the communication device 900 may further include a transceiver 930 and / or a communication interface, which are used for receiving and / or transmitting signals. For example, a processor 910 is used to control the transceiver 930 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0349] It should be understood that the communication interface is used for communication between core network elements. For example, the communication interface is used for communication between core network elements and access network equipment or other core network elements.

[0350] As one approach, the communication device 900 is used to implement the operations performed by the core network elements in the above method embodiments.

[0351] For example, processor 910 is used to implement operations performed internally by the core network element in the above method embodiments, and transceiver 930 is used to implement receiving or transmitting operations performed by the core network element in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 720 in device 700 can be... Figure 11 The transceiver unit 710 in the processor can be Figure 11 The transceiver and / or communication interface in the transceiver 930. For details on the operations performed by the processor 910, please refer to the description of the processing unit 720 above. For details on the operations performed by the transceiver 930, please refer to the description of the transceiver unit 710. They will not be repeated here.

[0352] As an alternative, the communication device 900 is used to implement the operations performed by the access network device in the above method embodiments.

[0353] For example, processor 910 is used to implement the operations performed internally by the access network device in the above method embodiments, and transceiver 930 is used to implement the receiving or transmitting operations performed by the access network device in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 720 in device 700 can be... Figure 11 The transceiver unit 710 in the processor can be Figure 11 The transceiver and / or communication interface in the transceiver 930. For details on the operations performed by the processor 910, please refer to the description of the processing unit 720 above. For details on the operations performed by the transceiver 930, please refer to the description of the transceiver unit 710. They will not be repeated here.

[0354] like Figure 12 As shown, this application embodiment also provides a communication device 1000. The communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010, which is coupled to a memory 1020. The memory 1020 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 1010 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 1020, so that the methods in the above method embodiments are executed.

[0355] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may include one or more processors 1010.

[0356] Optionally, such as Figure 12 As shown, the communication device 1000 may also include a memory 1020.

[0357] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may include one or more memory 1020.

[0358] Alternatively, the memory 1020 may be integrated with the processor 1010 or set separately.

[0359] Optionally, such as Figure 12 As shown, the communication device 1000 may further include a transceiver 1030 and / or a communication interface, which are used for receiving and / or transmitting signals. For example, the processor 1010 is used to control the transceiver 1030 and / or the communication interface to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0360] As one approach, the communication device 1000 is used to implement the operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. For example, the processor 1010 is used to implement the operations performed internally by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, and the transceiver 1030 is used to implement the receiving or transmitting operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 820 in the device 800 can be... Figure 12 The processor in the middle, the transceiver unit 810 can be Figure 12The operations performed by the processor 1010 can refer to the description of the processing unit 820 above, and the operations performed by the transceiver 1030 can refer to the description of the transceiving unit 810 above, which are not repeated here.

[0361] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions for implementing the method performed by the core network element, or the method performed by the access network device, or the method performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0362] For example, the computer program is executed by a computer, so that the computer can implement the method performed by the core network element, or the method performed by the access network device, or the method performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0363] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product containing instructions, which are executed by a computer to make the computer implement the method performed by the core network element, or the method performed by the access network device, or the method performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0364] The embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system, which includes the core network element, the access network device and the terminal device in the above embodiments. Optionally, the communication system further includes the relay terminal device in the above embodiments.

[0365] The explanations and advantages of the related contents in any of the above communication devices can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which are not repeated here.

[0366] In the embodiments of the present application, the core network element, the access network device, or the terminal device can include a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer can include a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), a memory (also known as main memory), and other hardware. The operating system of the operating system layer can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as Linux operating system, Unix operating system, Android operating system, iOS operating system, or windows operating system, etc. The application layer can include browsers, address books, word processing software, instant messaging software, etc.

[0367] The embodiments of the present application do not particularly limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, as long as the execution subject can communicate according to the method provided by the embodiments of the present application by running a program in which the code of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application is recorded. For example, the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be a core network element, an access network device or a terminal device, or a functional module capable of invoking and executing a program in the core network element, the access network device or the terminal device.

[0368] The terms "component," "module," "system" and the like as used herein generally refer to computer-related entities, hardware, software, a combination of hardware and software, software in execution, or a combination thereof. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and / or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a computing device and the computing device can be a component. One or more components can reside within a process and / or thread of execution and a component can be localized, co-resident, and / or distributed amongst one or more computers. Also, these components can execute from various computer-readable media having various data structures stored thereon. The components can communicate by way of local and / or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, and / or across a network such as the Internet with other systems via the signal).

[0369] It should also be understood that the first, second, and various numbers mentioned herein are only used for differentiation for the convenience of description, and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0370] It should be understood that the term "and / or" used herein is only used to describe the association relationship of the associated objects, and can represent three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone.

[0371] Those skilled in the art can appreciate that the units and steps of the examples described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solutions. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0372] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other manners. For example, the described device embodiments are merely schematic. The division of the units is merely a logical function division. Each unit or some of the units can be or can not be physically separate, and can or can not be located in one place. In addition, a unit that is displayed as a unit can be or can not be physically separate, i.e., can be or can not be located in one place.

[0373] If the functions are implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the parts that make contributions to the prior art or parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. For example, but not limited to: the computer readable medium can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), universal serial bus flash disk, mobile hard disk, or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer. In addition, by way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), or direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0374] The above merely describes specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed by the embodiments of the present application, which should be covered in the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data, characterized by, The method comprises: The access network device receives first indication information from a core network element, the first indication information indicating that a first quality of service (QoS) flow adopts a multi-path transmission mode; The access network device determines, according to the first indication information, a plurality of paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device, the plurality of paths including an indirect path between the terminal device and the access network device through a relay terminal and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device; The access network device transmits the first QoS flow through the plurality of paths.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Before the access network device determines the plurality of paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device, the method further comprises: The access network device determines that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The multi-path transmission mode includes a multi-path transmission mode through a relay terminal device.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The access network device determines that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode, comprising: The access network device determines, according to authorization information, that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode, the authorization information indicating that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or is authorized to adopt the multi-path transmission mode.

5. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The method further comprises: The access network device receives request information from the terminal device, the request information being used to request that the first QoS flow is transmitted in the multi-path transmission mode; The access network device determines that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode, comprising: The access network device determines, according to the request information, that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode; or The access network device determines, according to the request information and authorization information, that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode, the authorization information indicating that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or is authorized to adopt the multi-path transmission mode.

6. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The access network device determines that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode, comprising: In a case where a QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied, the access network device determines that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further comprises: When a QoS parameter of the first QoS flow transmitted through the plurality of paths is not satisfied, the access network device sends first information to the core network element; The first information indicates that the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied, or The first information indicates that, in a case where the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode, the QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further comprises: The access network device sends second information to the terminal device, the second information being used to trigger the terminal device to report information of a relay terminal device; The access network device receives information of at least one relay terminal device from the terminal device; The access network device determines the plurality of paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device, comprising: The access network device establishes an indirect path in the plurality of paths according to the information of the at least one relay terminal device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further comprises: The access network device sends third information to at least one relay terminal device, the third information being used for triggering the at least one relay terminal device to participate in relay discovery.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The access network device transmits the first QoS flow through the multiple paths, including: The access network device establishes an independent data radio bearer for the first QoS flow; The access network device transmits the first QoS flow with the terminal device on the data radio bearer through the multiple paths.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The access network device receives maximum path number information corresponding to the multi-path transmission mode; The access network device determines the number of the multiple paths according to the maximum path number information.

12. A method of transmitting data, characterized by, Including: The core network element determines that a first quality of service (QoS) flow of a terminal device adopts a multi-path transmission mode, the multi-path transmission mode being a transmission mode including at least two paths in a first path set, the first path set including an indirect path between the terminal device and an access network device through a relay terminal and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device; The core network element sends first indication information to the access network device, the first indication information indicating that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode; The core network element sends second indication information to the terminal device, the second indication information indicating that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The core network element determines that a first QoS flow of a terminal device adopts a multi-path transmission mode, including: The core network element determines that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode according to authorization information, the authorization information indicating that the terminal device is authorized to be a remote terminal device or is authorized to adopt the multi-path transmission mode.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: The core network element receives request information from the terminal device, the request information being used for requesting that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode; The core network element determines that a first QoS flow of a terminal device adopts a multi-path transmission mode, including: The core network element determines that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode according to the request information.

15. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein, The method further includes: The core network element receives request information from the terminal device, the request information being used for requesting that a first service flow adopts a multi-path transmission mode; The core network element allocates the first QoS flow for the first service flow; The core network element determines that a first QoS flow of a terminal device adopts a multi-path transmission mode, including: The core network element determines that the first QoS flow adopts the multi-path transmission mode according to the request information.

16. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein, The method further includes: The core network element receives fourth information from the access network device, the fourth information indicating that a QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied; The core network element determines that a first QoS flow of a terminal device adopts a multi-path transmission mode, including: The core network element determines that the first QoS flow of the terminal device adopts the multi-path transmission mode according to the fourth information.

17. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein, The method further includes: The core network element sends maximum path number information to the access network device, and the maximum path number information is used to determine a number of paths for transmitting the first QoS flow.

18. A method of transmitting data, characterized by, Comprise: The terminal device receives second indication information from the core network element, and the second indication information indicates that a multi-path transmission mode is used for the first data flow; The terminal device determines, according to the second indication information, that the multi-path transmission mode is used for the first data flow, the first data flow comprises a first service flow or a first quality of service (QoS) flow, and the multi-path transmission mode is a transmission mode comprising at least two paths in a first path set, the first path set comprising an indirect path between the terminal device and an access network device via a relay terminal and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein The method further comprises: The terminal device receives fourth information, and the fourth information indicates that a QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is not satisfied; The terminal device determines, according to the second indication information, that the multi-path transmission mode is used for the first data flow, comprising: The terminal device determines, according to the second indication information and the fourth information, that the multi-path transmission mode is used for the first QoS flow; or The terminal device determines, according to the second indication information, the fourth information and authorization information, that the multi-path transmission mode is used for the first QoS flow, and the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or is authorized to use the multi-path transmission mode.

20. The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein, The method further comprises: The terminal device receives second information from the access network device, and the second information is used to trigger the terminal device to report information of a relay terminal device; The terminal device sends information of at least one relay terminal device to the access network device, and the information of the at least one relay terminal device is used to establish an indirect path in the multi-path transmission mode.

21. The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein The second indication information is in a routing policy or a proximity-based service policy of the terminal device.

22. The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein, The method further comprises: The terminal device establishes the indirect path for transmitting the first data flow without the indirect path for transmitting the first data flow; or The terminal device establishes the direct path for transmitting the first data flow without the direct path for transmitting the first data flow.

23. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises a module for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 11, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 12 to 17, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 18 to 22.

24. A communications device, characterized by The communication device is a chip.

25. The communication apparatus according to claim 24, wherein, The communication system comprises an access network device for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 11, a core network element for performing the method of any one of claims 12 to 17, and a terminal device for performing the method of any one of claims 18 to 22.

26. A communication system, characterized by The computer readable storage medium is configured to store a computer program which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 11, or causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 12 to 17, or causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 18 to 22.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer program product comprises computer program code which, when executed on a computer, implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 11, or implements the method of any one of claims 12 to 17, or implements the method of any one of claims 18 to 22.

28. A computer program product, characterised in that, ​

Images